I have no idea how to study the intro to mineralogy course so I decide to make some notes to rescue myself.
There might be some Chinese and a bit of Japanese.
Update with my study progress! Last update: Sep. 5, 2019.
If I made any mistake, please comment me!
- Terminology
- Silicate minerals
- Sulfate minerals
- Oxide mineral
- Mineraloid
- Rocks
Terminology
3 Rock types
1. Igneous rock 火山岩 == magmatic rock
- wiki for igneous rock
- formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava
Divide by formation
Intrusive rock 侵入岩
- wiki for Intrusive rock
- formed when magma penetrates existing rock, crystallizes and solidifies underground to form intrusions
- magma does not reach the surface
Extrusive rock 喷出岩
- wiki for Extrusive rock
- formation in which hot magma from inside the Earth flows out (extrudes) onto the surface as lava or explodes violently into the atmosphere to fall back as pyroclastics or tuff
Divide by crystal size
phanerite
- wiki for Phanerite
- made up of crystals large enough to be distinguished with the unaided eye
- forms when magma deep underground in the plutonic environment cools slowly, giving the crystals time to grow
aphanite
- wiki for Aphanite
- so fine-grained that their component mineral crystals are not detectable by the unaided eye
- rapid cooling in volcanic or hypabyssal (shallow subsurface) environments
2. Sedimentary rock 沉积岩
- wiki for Sedimentary rock
- formed by the accumulation or deposition of small particles and subsequent cementation of mineral or organic particles on the floor of oceans or other bodies of water at the Earth’s surface
3. Metamorphic rock 变质岩
- wiki for Metamorphic
- from the transformation of existing rock types, in a process called metamorphism
adj. for rich elements
felsic: Al, Na, K
- wiki for felsic
- contains Si, O, Al, Na, K
- rich in elements that form feldspar and quartz, light in color
- have specific gravities less than 3
- enriched in the lighter elements such as silicon, oxygen, aluminium, sodium, and potassium
- Felsic magma or lava is higher in viscosity than mafic magma/lava
- Examples:
- Granite
mafic: Mg, Fe, Ca
- wiki for Mafic
- contains Mg, Fe, Ca
- mafic rocks are enriched in iron, magnesium and calcium and typically dark in color
- silicate mineral or igneous rock that is rich in magnesium and iron
adj. for shape
granular 粒状的
Mineral property
Hardness
- wiki for Hardness
- Measure in:
- Moh’s scale
- absolute scales
Moh’s scale
| scale | mineral | chemical formula |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Talc | aa |
| 2 | Gypsum | |
| 3 | Calcite | |
| 4 | Flourite | |
| 5 | Apatite | |
| 6 | Orthoclase | |
| 7 | Quartz | |
| 8 | Topaz | |
| 9 | Corundum | |
| 10 | Diamond |
Silicate minerals
| Major Group | Structure | Chemical formula | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nesosilicates | isolated silicon tetrahedra | $[SiO_4]^{4-}$ | olivine |
| Sorosilicates | double tetrahedra | $[Si_2O_7^{6-}]$ | epidote, melilite |
| Cyclosilicates | rings | $[Si_nO_{3n}]^{2n-}$ | tourmaline |
| Inosilicates | single chain | $[Si_nO_{3n}]^{2n-}$ | pyroxene |
| Inosilicates | double chain | $[Si_{4n}O_{11n}]^{6n-}$ | amphibole |
| Phyllosilicates | sheets | $[Si_{2n}O_{5n}]^{2n-}$ | micas and clays |
| Tectosilicates | 3D framework | $[Al_xSi_yO_{(2x+2y)}]^{x-}$ | quartz, feldspars, zeolites |
feldspar 长石 K Na Ca+AlxSiyOz
- Wiki for feldspar
- make up about 41% of the Earth’s continental crust by weight
- rock-forming tectosilicate minerals
- ($KAlSi_3O_8$ – $NaAlSi_3O_8$ – $CaAl_2Si_2O_8$)
quartz 石英 SiO2
- Wiki for Quartz
- $SiO2$
- $\alpha$-quartz, high temperature $\beta$-quartz, both are chiral (手性)
olivines 橄榄石
pyroxenes 辉石
mica 云母
amphibole 闪石
Sulfate minerals
gypsum 石膏 CaSO4·2H2O
- wiki for Gypsum
- belongs to sulfate minerals
- $CaSO_4·2H_2O$
selenite
-
Largest crystals in the world: selenite CaSO4·2H2O in Cueva de los Cristales, Mexico
satin spar
desert rose
gypsum flower
Oxide mineral
Corundum 刚玉 Hard Al.O.
Ruby
Sapphire Al2O3
star sapphire
- wiki for Sapphire#Star sapphire
- a star-like phenomenon known as asterism
- corundum Al2O3 hexagonal
Mineraloid
Opal 蛋白石
- wiki for Opal
- Hydrated silica. SiO2·nH2O
Obsidian 黑曜石
- Volcanic glass
- wiki for Obsidian
- a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock
- felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth
Rocks
Granite 花岗岩
- Wiki for Granite
- Granite ( /ˈɡrænɪt/) is a common type of felsic intrusive igneous rock that is granular and phaneritic in texture.
-
💠 feldspar, quartz, mica, and amphibole minerals
- graphic granite
Pegmatite 伟晶岩
- wiki for Pegmatite
- igneous rock, formed underground, with interlocking crystals usually larger than 2.5 cm in size
- 💠 quartz, feldspar and mica
- similar silicic composition as granite